Cuivre Island Conservation Area: hunting and access
Cuivre Island Conservation Area is 1,670 acres of MDC land in St. Charles and Lincoln counties, 3 miles from Old Monroe. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery only, antlerless permits not allowed). Hunters checked 2,141 deer in St. Charles County in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MDC's conservation area data, read 2026-10. Harvest: MDC deer harvest summaries, 2021 to 2025.
MDC conservation areasLand trusts and other open landCuivre Island Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,670 acres (1,461 by MDC's page) in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | St. Charles County and Lincoln County |
| Deer harvest unit | St. Charles County, Lincoln County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Rabbit and Squirrel |
| MDC area number | 8801 |
| MDC region | St. Louis |
| Nearest towns | Old Monroe (3 mi), Winfield (4 mi) and St. Paul (5 mi) |
What is Cuivre Island Conservation Area like?
Cuivre Island Conservation Area is in Lincoln and St. Charles counties, near Old Monroe. Access to the area is by Dalbow Road, off Highway 79.
The majority of the area is an island within Mississippi River navigation pool 26, between river miles 235 and 238. The area was purchased through a cooperative effort among the Conservation Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and The Nature Conservancy. Most of the 1,461-acre area was acquired to provide wildlife habitat as mitigation lands for the construction of Melvin Price Lock and Dam (26). Cuivre Island Conservation Area consists of three separate tracts of land (mainland tract, Cuivre Island tract, and Turkey Island tract). The mainland tract is 100 acres of mostly forested land. The mainland tract does provide a parking lot and a boat launch to access Cuivre Slough. Cuivre Island, at 1,240 acres, is mostly timbered, with 80 acres of old field, 40 acres of reforestation and 60 acres of sloughs. The island can be reached by boat from the mainland tract during normal...
In MDC's words, from the Cuivre Island Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Cuivre Island Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Cuivre Island Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery only, antlerless permits not allowed; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel.
What are the rules on Cuivre Island Conservation Area?
MDC's standard conservation area rules (Chapter 11 of the Wildlife Code) apply; the area's rules on MDC's site list any it adds.
How many deer are taken around Cuivre Island Conservation Area?
Cuivre Island Conservation Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters checked 2,141 deer in St. Charles County in 2025, against 2,231 in 2024.
| County | Cuivre Island Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Charles County | 958 | 2,141 | 2,231 | 2,297 |
| Lincoln County | 713 | 4,503 | 4,098 | 4,515 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Cuivre Island Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From O'Fallon, take Highway 79 north to Dalbow Road, then follow Dalbow Road east 5 miles to the area entrance.
Nearest towns: Old Monroe (3 miles), Winfield (4 miles), St. Paul (5 miles) and Chain of Rocks (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 79.
What other public land is near Cuivre Island Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Sandy Island Conservation Area: 385 acres, 3.9 miles away
- Upper Mississippi Conservation Area: 12,715 acres, 5.8 miles away
- Kluesner Lake (St. Charles): 25 acres, 8.7 miles away
- B. K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area: 4,323 acres, 9.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Cuivre Island Conservation Area
Counting Cuivre Island Conservation Area itself, 1,686 of the 37,003 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 1,672 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 14 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Cuivre Island Conservation Area?
In St. Charles and Lincoln counties, 3 miles from Old Monroe.
Can you deer hunt on Cuivre Island Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery only, antlerless permits not allowed.
How much public land is around Cuivre Island Conservation Area?
1,686 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Cuivre Island Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Sandy Island Conservation Area (3.9 miles).
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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Missouri included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: MDC, Cuivre Island Conservation Area; MDC conservation area boundaries.
- Boundary and acres: MDC's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and MDC conservation area boundaries.
- Deer harvest: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
FilledTag is not part of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Check MDC's rules and posted signs before you go.